On Jul 23, 2008, at 10:55 AM, Christopher D. Green wrote: > Paul Brandon wrote: >> >> >> >> First of all, this is not an academic freedom question since he >> was not fired because of the content of what he was teaching. > > This is not true. Academic freedom extends well beyond that. Please > read the 1940 AAUP statement on academic freedom (which is widely > considered to be the definitive statement on the topic in the US), > esp. freedom #2, and the 1970 "Interpretive comment" #2. http:// > www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/contents/1940statement.htm >>
I'll cede the point on technical grounds. >> Rather, the issue is whether he was requiring his students to know >> (and answer test questions on) content not specified in the >> syllabus -- a violation of the contract between the student and >> the state. >> If his additional material was simply and literally a supplement; >> not adding any content not in the text, so that students could >> pass any exam question without the use of the supplemental >> material, then he has a case. >> On the other hand, if he added exam questions that could not be >> answered without the use of his supplemental material,he was in >> violation of his contract. > > That might be true, but according to the story, the materials were > intended That is probably true. If the intention and the fact are in agreement (as I said), then I don't think that the instructor violated his contract, and should not have been fired. On the other hand, if in fact (regardless of his intention, which would be a mitigating circumstance) he required students to be responsible for material not stated in the syllabus, he is violating what courts have held to be a student's legal rights. Whether or not the students benefit from this is a different issue. Places like Ivy Tech (the name has nothing to do with Ivy League -- it's derived from the initials IV) are more like high schools than colleges as we know them; standard curricula is more common and instructors have less autonomy. > merely to elucidate concepts and procedures that were not > (according to some of the students) explained clearly in the > textbook. And more broadly, are you really arguing that he should > have, instead, allowed the students to founder with the poor > textbook rather than doing what he could to help them understand > the material? After all, having students understanding the material > is the real imperative for teacher, not simply dragging them > uncomprehendingly through a particular presentation of the > material. It seems to me that if some of the students preferred not > understanding the material to reading some explanatory pages > prepared by the teacher then (a) that is their prerogative but it > should not be imposed on the rest of the class (i.e. those who are > actually there to learn), but b) it is foolish for us to encourage > such anti-intellectual behavior on the part students by punishing > the teacher who tried to help while laboring under bad > circumstances not of his own making (i.e., why not fire the person > who mandated the textbook that the students found to be so poor?). > > Regards, > Chris > -- > Christopher D. Green > Department of Psychology > York University > Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 > Canada > > 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ > > > "Part of respecting another person is taking the time to criticise > his or her views." > - Melissa Lane, in a Guardian obituary for philosopher Peter Lipton > ================================= > >> >> On Jul 23, 2008, at 8:27 AM, Christopher D. Green wrote: >> >>> What would you do if an adjunct instructor at your school >>> responded to >>> students' complaints that the mandated textbook was unclear, by >>> creating >>> original supplementary materials to help the students understand the >>> topic better? Give him a pat on the back? One Indiana college >>> decided to >>> fire him instead. >>> http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/23/ivytech >>> >>> Chris >>> -- >>> Christopher D. Green >>> Department of Psychology >>> York University >>> Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 >>> Canada >>> >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ >>> phone: 416-736-2100 ext. 66164 >>> fax: 416-736-5814 >>> >>> >>> --- >>> To make changes to your subscription contact: >>> >>> Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) >> >> Paul Brandon >> Emeritus Professor of Psychology >> Minnesota State University, Mankato >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> > Paul Brandon Emeritus Professor of Psychology Minnesota State University, Mankato [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
